The two women worked together on an episode of Ripa's now-defunct sitcom, Hope & Faith, but Ripa says she was a fan of Gifford, 54, from her early days on Live with Regis & Kathie Lee.

"She's very influential in my life," said Ripa, who replaced Gifford on the show in 2001. "I saw her doing it all – a working mom. She had a big impact on me."

Happy Homemaker

These days, it's Ripa – who's married to actor Mark Consuelos – who's known as the quintessential working mother (to Michael, 10, Lola, 6, and Joaquin, 5). That might explain her newest role, star of a spring ad campaign for Electrolux kitchen appliances. (She's also helping the company raise cash for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.)

As an added bonus, the company hooked her up with a kitchen full of new goodies. "It's gorgeous," she said.